The first-ever study into Middle East gay travel unveiled at WTM

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05 October 2009

The first-ever study into gay travel to the Middle East will be unveiled at World Travel Market 2009.

Out Now Consulting will reveal the findings of its study into GLBT (gay, lesbian and bisexual and transgender) tourism to Tel Aviv during its session on gay marketing - The Gay Marketing Puzzle - Solved by Out Now at WTM .

In a region not usually associated with GLBT travel, Tel Aviv is now putting in place various strategic steps to develop a campaign that extends its reach and broadens its appeal to lesbians and gay men as a tourism destination.

The gay tourism marketing strategy of Tel Aviv will be discussed, along with the presentation of findings from a gay market research study currently underway, testing the attitudes and opinions of gay consumers in three regions - New York City, UK and Germany - about the prospects of Tel Aviv becoming the new 'hot' gay travel ticket.

Out Now Consulting Founder and Chief Executive Ian Johnson and Tel Aviv City Council Member Yaniv Waizman, who is responsible for the city’s tourism portfolio, will discuss the study and advise delegates on gay marketing strategies.

"We thought it was very important to start our gay market development plans with the best possible insight," says Waizman. "That is why our first step has to be market research, to discover the current positioning of Tel Aviv in the minds of the gay and lesbian travel audience.“

Johnson said: "Tel Aviv is a destination that many gays and lesbians do not immediately think of when planning their next vacation.” "Yet as a gay targeted destination, the city has world-class tourism options to offer to gay and lesbian travellers. It is also a city that comes with a lot of history - cultural, religious and political,” he added.

Johnson said the preliminary results reveal a big gap between certain perceptions and reality when it comes to Tel Aviv. "The early results are quite revealing. They show significant divergence between what gay and lesbian people think Tel Aviv is like, compared to a quite different reality on several key points," Johnson said.

"This new research will make for much better informed strategic marketing decisions for the destination."

The final report will be unveiled at The Gay Marketing Puzzle - Solved by Out Now at WTM at World Travel Market, ExCel - London at 11am on November 11, 2009.